Centerless turning machine



Feb. 23, 1943. n POPE 2,311,998

CENTERLESS TURNING MACHINE- kwin Alfred Pope 'Af POPE 2,311,998

CENTERLESS TURNING MACHINE.

Fnedreb. 12, 1940 4 sheets-snaai 2 Feb. 23, 1943.

Feb. 23,1943. A, PQPE cENTERLEss TURNING MACHINE' Filed Feb. 12, 1940 4sheets-sheet 5 AHF-frais Feb. 23, 1943. A. POPE cENTERLEss TURNING`MACHINE www 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 Filed Feb. 12, 1940 #des Patented Feb. 23,1943 CENTERLESS TURNING MACHINE Alfred Pope, Penn Field land, assignorto Josh ited, Wolverhampton,

s, Wolverhampton, Engua Bigwood & Son, Lim- England Application February12, `1940, Serial No. 318,636 In Great Britain February 25, 1939' 6Claims.

This invention relates to centerless turning machines of the kindemployed for turning lengths of shafting or the like, mandrel bars andpeeled tube billets, and for turning high grade tubes made from specialsteel, such machines usually comprising a plurality of rotating headscarrying cutting tools, one head being used for roughing, and the otheror another being used for finishing, the work usually being fed throughthe machine by means of feed rollers and being supported and guided lbyclamping heads which can travel with the work, there usually being aclamping head at the feed end and another at the delivery end. In thesemachines the work travels axially, but does not rotate.

The drive to the rotating head-s is usually imparted to a continuousdriving sleeve in which both or all the heads are mounted. Further, thissleeve is usually mounted in two or three bearings provided in the bodyof the machine, there being a bearing on each side of a worm wheel orgear wheel on the sleeve by which motion is transmitted to the sleeve,and in some cases one further bearing on the delivery side of thefinishing head.

The object of the present invention is to provide an improvedconstruction.

According to the present invention, separate driving sleeves areprovided, one for the roughing head and another for the finishing head,each sleeve having its own driving member such as a worm wheel or gearwheel.

With this arrangement, the vibration and shocks produced by the actionof the roughing head are not directly transmitted to the nishing head.

Further, the arrangement allows of the nishing head being driven at adiiTerent speed from the roughing head. It can be `driven either fasteror slower. Further, the arrangement allows of the inishing head beingdriven in the opposite direction from that taken by the roughing head.Such an arrangement is 4advantageous in some cases where the roughedwork is not truly cylindrical, and consequently with the heads rotatingin opposite directions, the shocks or reactions produced are to someextent balanced.

According to a further part of the present invention, the rotating headsare each rigidly supported in bearings at both sides, i. e. fourbearings are provided in place of three, the bearings being placed inthe body of the machine and supporting each driving sleeve at each sideof the rotating head carried by the sleeve.

Referring to the drawings: f Figure 1 is a plan view showing oneconstrucllOll;V

Figure 2 is a section on line 2-2 of Figure 1. Figure 3 is a section online 3-3 of Figure 2. Figure 4 is a section on line '4-4 of Figure 2.Figure 5 is a section on line 5 5 of Figure 2. In the constructionillustrated, the supporting and guiding means for the member I0 which isto be turned, are not shown. Such supporting and guiding means are wellknown inthe art, and include at each end of the Imachine one or moreguide bars placed horizontally and parallel to the shaft I0, andclamping devices slidably mounted on such guide bars and having meanswhereby they may grip a shaft such as I0, such clamping means serving tosupport the shaft and to guide it so that it moves with anfendwisemovement, the clamping means moving with the shaft.

The drawings do, however, illustrate the means for imparting the endwisemovement to the shaft, such means being shown at the left hand end ofFigures 1 and 2 and also in Figure 5.

The machine comprises a bed II of deep box section, this bed having atable I2, to the upper side of which is secured a body I3 carrying thefeed mechanism. f

Thebed I I also comprises a box-like portion I4 carrying the drivingsleeves' I5 and I6 for the turning'heads I'I,' I8. The part III'of the.bed forms a container and receives the turning uid in the compartmentsI9.

ects the turnings towards the front of the machine and out throughopenings 2|, while the turning fluid which passes through theperforations inthe plates 20 and collects inthe compartments I9, can bereturned to circulation by suitable means.

The walls of the bed II above the part I4 are formed with portions .22,23, 24, 25, 26 and 21 which serve to support the driving sleeves I5 andI6. The portions 22, 24, 25 and 21 form housings for anti-frictionbearings 28.

Above the bearings 22 and 23 and above the bearings 25 and 26 removablecastings 29 are provided, these incorporating the upper parts of thebearings 23 and 26 and the upper parts of the housings for two of theanti-friction bearings 28. V-

Each of the driving sleeves I5 and I6 is provided. with a worm wheel,that on the sleeve I5 being, shown at 3U, and that on the sleeve I6Above each of the compartments I9 is a perforated plate 20 `whichdedrive the sleeves I5 and in the sleeve I6..

The portion 31 contains a turning headrhd which is rmly secured to thevsleeve and rotates therewith, and I6 carries a turning head I 8.

Each turning head is formed withfour substantially radial arms-39yVwhich arms are slotted and fitted with guide platesl 40.' In three -ofthe guide .plates are adjustably mounted stems 4I' carrying at theirinner ends 4rollers 42." In the other,` guideplate a turning tool 43 isadjustablyfixed.` Y a y The three stems 44I and the turning tool can beadjusted towards and away`from-fthe axial centre ofV the sleeve.Y 4Theouter end of each stem4I is-hollow and containsv ac nut which isprevented from endwise movement 'in relation to the stem',A andthisnutis engagedby the inner screwj threaded end of an adjusting pin 14passing through a b1ock15attached Vto the turning heath-*The pin 14 isprevented from endwise movement `in* the blockv 151 andbwhen the `pinvis turned, threaded partan' stem 4I Yproduces endwise The turning tool43 can to 4`I having rollers 42 at their innerV ends en-V gaging'theshaft I0.

The frame-like part 31 carrying the turning head-|1 and the steadyvheadi44 vis enclosedby a cap 45, and the" frame-like part 38 carryingthe turning head I8 is enclosed by'a cap` 46..

As will be seen,vv theopem'ngthrough eachlof the drivingsleeves I and I6is larger than-the particularY shaft I Il which is ings. operate -uponany shaft provided its external diameter before `machining is somewhatless than the-diameter of the openings throughthe driv-` ing sleeves I5and I6. If the shaft is of.` less diameter than is shown in thedrawings, `then the stemsv 4I are .adjusted inwardly as also are theturning tools 43.'

Both in-thefroughing head andthe finishing head'the turning tooloperates on the shaftin advance ofthe pointsV of engagement between therollers 42 and the shaft, the latter moving from left toright. f

The feed gear -for the shaft comprises .anupper roller'41v bearing ontop of pairs of directly opposed rollers 48, 49, operating 32 and 33` isprovided with a'frame-like` portion 31, and a similar portion 38 isprovided similarly the part 38 of the sleeve" the engagement between itsd th nut withinthe lhllowf movement of the stern.- be adjusted in anend` v wise direction by loosening the nuts 16,' and after j beeneffected, the nutsY shown in the draw, A machine as illustrated will ofcourse the shaft and two l, each driving sleeve carrying Vis made forthe upper roller 41 Ablock 61 enables the feed rollers 59 is supportedin on the sides of the shaft. Each of the rollers 48 is mounted on aseparate shaft `5Ilprovided with a worm wheel 52, and each of the feedrollers 49 is mounted on a separate shaft 5I provided with a worm wheel'53. The two rollers 48 are driven in the opposite direction from thedirectionA taken by the rollers 749.

Thus, there are two worm wheels 52 worm wheels 53.

Each pair of worm wheels consisting ofone worm wheel 52 and one Wormwheel 53 is driven by means of worms 54 on a shaft 55. The two worms 54on theshaft 55 are of opposite hand in order 'toproduce oppositerotation of the feed rollers 48,V 49.- Each of the shafts 55 carriesarvvorm wheel 55,`and these are driven by worms 51,58 v on a shaft' 59.The two worms 51 and 53 are -of the same hand so :that the two shafts 55are driven in the same direction. Y

The two shafts 50 and the two shafts 5I are carriedwin bearingy blocks69, eachoflwhich .is recessedas Vshown at 6I these bearing blocks canslide horizontallyupon guides 62formed inY the casting I3. Each bearingblock .69"can be adjusted horizontally towards or away. from the centreof the shaft I0 by means of la screwed stem 63 having ak reduced neckportion B4 passing through a hole in`a plate 65 secured to the outer endof the recessed' part of the bearing block.

Within'the plate 65'the screwed stem is provided with ahead 66 whichbears upon'a rubber or other resilient block61, and at its outer end thescrewed stem 63 is provided with a nonand two Vcircular' part E8 so thatit canbeturned. After being adjusted, the screwed `stern can be' securedby a lock'nut .69. Thus, all four rollers 48, 49, can be adjustedbodilytowards or -away from the centre of the shaft I9, andI a similarProvision which is rotatably mounted in a Yblock 1I capable ofadjustment by means of a' screwed stem 12 of simil-ar construction tothestem 63.

The provision of the rubber or other resilient 41; 48, 49, to follow thecontour of the shaft, which may of course be somewhat irregularA beforemachining.

Inward or outward adjustment of the feed rollers 48 and 49 takes pl'acein a direction parallel tothe shaftsf55, sov that such adjustment 0canThe shaft 13 carries a pulley or sprocket 36,A

which inturn drives the worms 32 and 33 mounted respectively on theshafts'r11 and 18.` n

The shafts 11 and 18 yare mount d inthrust bearings 19, 80, carried inhousings 8|, 82, formed in the bed of =the machine.

'Ihe shaft IBI;A is provided 4with* a pulley .or sprocket 83 `drivingthrough belt or chain a pulley or sprocket '84 fixed on the shaft 59.The shaft a bracket 85 xedon the side of the machine bed. I4, the otherend of the shaft 59 being provided with suitable bearings in thecastingV I3.

What I claim then is:

1.i In a centerless turning machine of the kind specified, al machinebed having two groups of three bearings disposed in .line and a separatedriving sleeve disposedain each group of bearings, a machining head anda driving wheel, the machining head 'in each at "its outer end, and

case being disposed between the intermediate bearing and one end bearingof a group, and the driving Wheel in each case being disposed betweenthe intermediate bearing and the other end bearing of the group.

2. In a centerless turning machine of the kind specied, a driving sleevefor the roughing head, a separate driving sleeve for the iinishing head,and a nishing head and a steady head carried by said separate drivingsleeve.

3. In a centerless turning machine of the kind specified, a machine bedhaving two pairs of bearings disposed in line, a separate driving sleevedisposed in each pair of bearings, each driving sleeve carrying amachining head and a worm Wheel, a worm shaft for each of said WormWheels, said worm shafts being supported in bearings in the bed, meansfor driving said Worm shafts, a table at one end of the bed, and feedmeans for the work supported on said table.

4; In a centerless turning machine of the kind `specified, a machine bedhaving two pairs of bearings disposed in line, a separate driving sleevedisposed in each pair of bearings, each driving sleeve carrying amachining head, said bed being formed under said machining heads as areceptacle for machining fluid, and means for deecting the turnings fromsaid receptacle.

5. In a centerless turning machine of the kind specied having a roughinghead carrying cutting tools and a finishing head carrying cutting tools,a machine bed having two pairs of aligned bearings spaced apart axially,a driving sleeve for the roughing head mounted in one pair of bearingsand a separate driving sleeve for the finishing head mounted in theother pair of bearings, each of such sleeves having a frame likeportion, situated in each case between the bearings of the pairsupporting the sleeve, the roughing head being secured to the frame likeportion of one sleeve, and the finishing head being secured to the framelike portion of the other sleeve.

6. A centerless turning machine according to claim 5 comprising twopairs of aligned housings on the machine bed, thrust bearings in saidhousings, shafts mounted in said thrust bearings, said shafts beingdisposed at right angles to said sleeves, worms' on said shafts, saidworms being of opposite hand, a worm wheel on each of said sleeves, eachof said worm wheels being engaged by one of said worms, and means fordriving said shafts in the same direction.

ALFRED POPE.

